Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors (The Rajes #1)(30)

“No, seriously. We’ve been ruined—”

“Are you okay, Ashna? I heard screaming.” The man in question walked in. At first he looked a little freaked out, like someone contemplating needing to perform CPR on a dear friend. But then he saw Ashna guffawing and a smile lit up his face.

And by lit up Trisha meant: fireworks! His crystalline eyes sparkled, his skin glowed, the dimple in his chin deepened.

“We are totally fine,” Ashi said. “Except I need to get Trisha to give relationship advice on YouTube. We could make a killing. And she thinks you’re—”

“Ashi! I really need my stuff now. I have to go.” Trisha pulled Ashna off the chair. Was there anything more annoying in the world than cousins? Trisha dragged her still-laughing cousin into her kitchen and started putting Tupperware boxes Ashi had packed for her into a cardboard box and then picked it up to take to the car.

“Let me help,” the chef said, going all stiff again, and gallantly took the box from her.

“Thank you.” She held the door open, pointed the remote at her car, and popped the trunk. Then she watched him walk down the steps of the service entrance under the blast of sunshine that made her squint.

“When you’re done admiring the view, come in and tell me what else you want,” Ashi said behind her.

Trisha scowled, hoping it would hide the flush on her skin.

As Ashi filled a few more containers, still grinning annoyingly, Trisha wondered if she should feel worse than she did about passing off her cousin’s food as her own.

Nah. The fact that having her cook for him made Harry so ecstatic was sexist enough that it helped with the conscience easing. She also had a niggling feeling that his assumption that she could cook was based on the fact that she was Indian. That definitely helped with the conscience easing and if that made her messed up, well, that made two of them.

Ashi placed the remaining Tupperware containers filled with her date-bounty into a cloth bag and handed it to Trisha. “How is Emma doing?” She threw a look at the door to make sure DJ wasn’t back.

“Didn’t he tell you? It’s a good news/bad news situation. I didn’t have a chance to tell you at the Anchorage. I can operate on her tumor and it will save her life.” Trisha swallowed and looked at the door. “But I can’t save her optic nerves. That means she’s going to go blind.”

“Dear God.” Ashi pressed a fist to her mouth. “Poor Emma. Poor DJ.”

DJ appeared in the doorway and the light framing him from behind made the pain in his eyes stark. The drama of those thickly lashed hazel eyes against that looming physique and dark skin made Trisha blink. She hadn’t registered quite how sad his eyes were. Maybe because of all the glowering he’d been doing at her. How had she forgotten a face like this even for an instant?

“I have to go,” she said to Ashi, giving her a quick hug. “It was nice meeting you, Mr. Caine. I’ll see you at the hospital later today, maybe?”

He nodded and held the door open as she stepped out into the sun-drenched afternoon. Passing so close to his big body made the doorway shrink around her. His scent, something citrus and masculine, stroked at her senses and nudged her slightly off-balance in that way that a first sip of wine always did. Her feet stumbled on the top step and she grabbed the metal railing, throwing a look over her shoulder, hoping he hadn’t seen that.

Naturally, he had. His expression didn’t alter as he watched her, the impassive look on his face only unsettling her more. She could swear he was trying to cover something else with that look. Something intense that vibrated beneath the sudden flatness in his eyes. Something that felt an awful lot like dislike.

DJ LEANED AGAINST the heavy deliveries door and watched Trisha Raje walk to her car and tried to ignore the restlessness the woman kindled inside him. Reaching for every memory of warmth that he could dig up from the slim pickings of his thirty-year-long life, he called out, “Dr. Raje!” He pushed off the door and followed her down the steps. It thunked shut behind him just as she turned around to face him. “I was wondering if I could perhaps have a word.”

She looked so shocked he might as well have asked her to jump in the car with him and elope.

“We’ve been missing each other at Emma’s appointments,” he said.

“Actually, I’ve never missed an appointment with Emma.” She attempted a smile.

He was fully aware that he’d not been able to make his sister’s appointments with her. If there was any way he could have been there, he would have. Maybe if he had been there when Emma got the news about her eyes . . .

When he didn’t smile back, her smile twisted awkwardly into a frown. “I’ve actually never missed an appointment with any patient ever,” she declared stiffly.

Okay. Good to know. Medals all around! “I’ve been here only a month and I’m trying to set up a new business, so it’s been hard to coordinate schedules.” Why was he explaining himself to her?

She shrugged, then stood there opening and closing her mouth. Well, not literally, but she looked completely tongue-tied and he wondered if she truly was not used to the hired help speaking to her.

“I wanted to talk to you about Emma and the treatment you’re proposing.”

“Of course. I’m headed to the hospital right now.” She looked down at her phone and tapped her thumb on the screen. “Yup, she’s the first one on my rounds this evening. I’ll just see you there?” She pulled open the car door.